Secondary Education

Career and Major Information
Related Career Titles
Web Sites
Salary Information

 

Secondary education majors at Walters State Community College may talk with advisors in both the major area (ex. English, mathematics, etc.) and education.  The departmental link for education majors is: http://www.ws.edu/socialsci/Education.asp

 

 

Career and Major Information:

 

Public school teachers must complete at minimum a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher education program, and be licensed.  The job outlook for secondary teachers in the next few years is excellent due to the expected retirement of large numbers of teachers.

 

Secondary school teachers usually major in a specific subject area, such as English, Spanish, mathematics, biology, chemistry or history and minor in education.  They must complete student teaching, and for some licensure programs, an internship year.  Teaching is a rewarding profession when students increase knowledge of and appreciation for a subject; however, it can be very frustrating to deal with discipline problems and violence in the schools.  Many teachers work more than forty hours per week due to the supervision of extracurricular activities and to work completed at home for class preparation.  Most states have tenure laws that prevent teachers from being fired without just cause and due process.  Tenure is obtained after a satisfactory probationary period of teaching is completed.

 

 

Related Career Titles:

 

Industrial Trainer

Counselor

Educational Administrator

Librarian

Public Relations Specialist

Social Worker

Coach

Salesman

Customer Service Representative

College Professor

 

 

Web Sites:

 

Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.

http://www.rnt.org

http://www.recruitingteachers.org

 

National Education Association

http://www.nea.org

 

 

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

http://www.ncate.org

 

 

Salary Information:

Median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $39,810 to $44,340 in 2002; the lowest 10 percent earned $24,960 to $29,850; the top 10 percent earned $62,890 to $68,530. Median earnings for preschool teachers were $19,270.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $30,719 in the 2001–02 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2001–02 school year was $44,367. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers.

Salary figures quoted are based on national figures.  Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Teachers—Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm